Track and detachable grouser therefor



1943- R; MAYNE TRACK ANt) DETACHAELE GROUSER THEREFQR Filed March 1, 194l Patented May 4, 1943 7 UNITED-"STAT v pany,Ne w York. N. Y., af corporationoliflew York-y Application March 1, IMLZSerlaI'No. 381?;3

aiclaims. (c1. sp5'-1o) it This invention relates toftrac ksior' self-laying track-type vehicles 'andj to,.de tachable grouser therefor. V .In the} construction of self-laying track-type vehicles, it has been p'roposed'to provide a track comprising longitudinally extending tension members, suchas reaches. of metalliccables held in spaced-apart relation by longitudinally in place. Provision made for security ;.of attachment despite the presence 01' the rubber body, and for convenience oi assembly and sim-- plicity and strength of the structure.

itei erringto the drawing the numeral l0 designates the flexible body of the track comprisih'ga resilient body of rubber-like material.

The'tension members, in the form of flexible mespaced-apart driving members, such as metal cross-bars, all embedded in a resilient protective 'struction has provided atread -ofrubber like' material for contactwith the ground. A tread of' rubber-like material, while it has p'rovided good traction on many surfaces, has not always provided sufiicient traction on wet soil or on ice.

Projecting grousers of metal are sometimes desir-able to penetrate the soft soil and ice to protread body of rubber-like material. Such acon' tallic cables are arranged in two spaced-apart groups, each comprisingspaced-ap'art reaches of cables-l wi l, the-cables; eing completely enclofsedfbytthe rubb'e bed "and being new in c d-1 e at o b ibns u 'drivingjmernbers whichare partiallyembeddd in the rubber-like vide traction, but theprovision of such grousers J on tracks having a body'o'f rubber materialforming the tread haspresented difliculties as it is necessary to provide security of the attachment of the metal parts to the rubber-while permitting extensive flexing movement of the track which tends to loosen the 'grouserand cause it to slip.

The principal objects of the inventionare. to provide security of attachment of the grouser with ease of removability without interfering with the flexibility of the track, especially where the track is continually flexible, or nearly so, to

provide for' increasing traction, and to Provide simplicity of construction. without objectionably increasing the dimensions of the track- These and other objects willappear-irom the following description and the accompanying drawing.

Of the drawing: Fig. 1 is a plan view of the track looking at the f wheel-contacting back' thereof. parts being broken away and parts. shown in section, showing the grousers attached at some of the driving members, others being removed.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional detail view taken,

along line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional viewtaken along line 4-4 of Fig.2. 7

Fig. 5 is a" perspective view of one of the grousers, parts being broken away.

In accordance with the invention, the driving members of the track are extended beyond the margins of the rubber tread body and are adapted to inter-engage upstanding lugs formed on the removable metallic grousers and to be engaged by bolts which also engage the grousers and hold.

this space wa to on I of the driving wheels.

ally spaced-apart he from .of cross-bars l 2 material. Cross-bar [2 are each formed of a pair of-ba'r members i2 21: mountedff'ace to face: and 'formedfzjwi h' complementary grooves l3 a,- 13b defining openings; li i'or receiving the cables. 'I'lieoneni-nss larger than the cables and a cushioningj-layer- -ll oi rubber-like material encloses each cable and fills thefspace between thecabl'e' and the opening so as to trans:

mit the load from the cross-bars to the cables by sheartloading oi the rubber surrounding the cables.- The edges ot="the. grooves are rounded? as at l5 so as not to cut theIrubber-lwh'eii the .cables are' flexed as'when. the track passes around the supporting driving wheels and guide-wheels.

The" resilienflbody H! is divided longitudinally to providea clearance spaceyjfl between the groups of cables and the cross bars extend across Hardened wear plates I therethrough' which bolts also act to holdthe members 12a, I22; 01 the cross-bars inlassembled relation. The wear plates are formedpwith parallel flanges la, 19', 20,10, the flanges l9 being spaced closer than the flanges 20, I'U'and the 1 wear plates on the respective cross-bars having their flanges 20, 20 overlapping flanges IS IQ' of the next wear plate thereby providing against side sway of the track and also providing means for engaging a guiding groove inthe wheels over which the track passes for the purpose of guiding .the track. The guiding bar elements [2a, 12b. are additionally secured to each other by screws.

2| near their ends and the bars extend slightly beyond the rubber body of the track at the sides thereof to provide 'means for securing the grousers thereto. For this purpose, the ends 01 the driving bars are notched as at 22 to inter-' lock with the bolts used for securing the grousers.

l are secured the space IE to the cross bars by bolts l8 passing The grousers each comprise a metal plate 30 adapted to extend across the tread face 3| of the rubber body of the track and having integral lugs 32, 33 upstanding therefrom in spaced-apart relation at each end of the grouser and adapted to straddle the projecting ends of the cross-bars.

The plate 30 is apertured near each end thereof,

as at 34, to receive a bolt 35 which extends therethrough and also through the notch 22. A bridge piece 36 has a threaded aperture 31 extending therethrough for engaging the threaded end of the bolt 35 and extends over the ,notched end of the cross-bar when the grouser is securedto the track, the ends of the bridge piece being confined by a vertical guideway 38 formed inthe lugs 32, 33 so as to prevent rotative movement of the bridge piece which has sliding engagement with the guideway. The bolts 35 have polygonal heads 39 which impinge against the'plate turned margins 40, ll and a downwardlyextending rib 2.

These vmargins extend downwardly a sufficient distancev to extend .beyond the heads of thebolts 35 and therefore protect the bolts from contact with abrasive surfaces such as stone or concrete. The grousersare preferably formed from heat-treated steel castings and their construction is such that they may be cast without the necessity of machining operations.

The track may be operated on pavements without the grousers and the grousers maybe readily attached when the vehicle approaches soft ground, as many as'desired of the grousers being attached to the track while the track is in place on the vehicle. In attaching the grousers the plates 30 are'placed face tov face -with the tread body with the lugs 32, 33 straddling the ends'of one of the cross-bars. The bridge piece is then placed against. the opposite gaging said projections for retaining-said grouser' against the resilient tread face of said body.

2. A track for self-laying track vehicles, said track comprising a resilient tread body of rubher-like material, a rigid member extending therethrough and projecting therefrom at opposite margins thereof, a grouser at a tread face of said body and retained by said projections, said grouser having means thereon to embrace said projections at front and rear and side faces thereof to resist movement of the grouser longitudinally of the track and laterally thereof, and means for holding the grouser against the resilient face of said .tread body.

3. A track for a self-laying track vehicle, said track comprising a body of resilient rubber-like material, a driving member partially embedded therein and projecting therefrom at the sides of said body, a grouser seated on the face of said resilient body, and slotted means integral with said grouser for receiving the projecting portions of said driving member, said slotted means permitting removal of the grouser by movement away from the track face.

4. A track for a self-laying track vehicle, said track comprising a body of resilient rubber-like material, a driving member partially embedded therein and projecting therefrom at the sides of said body, a grouser at the face of said resilient body, a pair of lugs'on each end of said grouser'adapted to embrace a projecting portion of said driving member, and means for clamping said grouser to said driving member.

5. A track for a self-laying tr'ack vehicle, said track comprising a body of resilient rubber-like material, a driving member partially embedded therein and projecting therefrom at the sides of said body, a grouser at the face of said resilient body, a pair of lugs on each end of said grouser adapted to embrace a projecting portion of said driving member, and means for retaining said grouser in place about the projecting portions of said driving member, said means comprising bolts engaging in notches formed in said projecting portions, and bridge pieces engaged by said bolts and bearing on said projecting portions.

side of the projecting end of the crossbar with its ends entering the guideway 33 and the bolts 35 are screwed in place with their bodies passing through the notched ends of the cross-bars.

,As each grouser engages a cross-bar directly and the cross-barsare resiliently. secured tothe 1 cables by a cushioning body of rubber under shear loading, the grousers do not interfere with the flexing of the track or of its tension membersr Also. the construction is such that the weight of the vehicle upon the grouser is cushioned by the rubber of the tread, the grouser being permitted to yield upwardly while it is effectively restrained in'other directions by the engagement of the bridge pieces 33 in the guidefrom the scope of the invention as it is defined .ber-like material, rigid projections at opposite margins of said body, a grouser at a tread face of said body retained longitudinally of the track by said projections, and additional means en- 6. A grouser for a self-laying track, said grouser comprising a ground engaging portion having upstanding projections adapted to embrace the margins of the track and means at said projections for securing the grouser to the track, said upstanding projections' comprising spaced apart elements providing a guideway between them, and said securing means comprising a member slidable in said guideway and'means for clamping the member upon the margin of the track.

' upstanding projections spaced-apart in the iongitudinal direction of the track and integral with said portion and adapted to embrace the margins of the track and means comprising an element slidable in the radial direction of the track between said projections for securing the grouser taining the grouser in place about said projecting portions. said means comprising a threaded element at each pair of lugs, and bridge pieces by said elements for bearing upon the projecting portions of the track and embracing the same between said bridge pieces and said lugs.

9. A track for a self-laying track vehicle, said track comprising a body of resilient rubber-like material having a tread face, a member embedded in said. material and having elements projecting laterally therebeyond at each side of the track, a grouser adapted to be placed on the radially of the track for tensioning said retaining 10 element in a direction radial of the track.

ROBERT MAYNE. 

